Editing Tupai Tapihana (section)

===Representative Assembly===

By his own account, Tapihana never intended to become involved in Milintican politics. However, he was approached by Milintica Peoples' Party leaders prior to the nationwide elections in 1998. The longtime MPP member of the Representative Assembly for Kōputaroa District 6, which included Tapihana's hometown of Meto, had decided to retire, and the MPP was concerned about losing the seat to a Progressive or Green candidate. Tapihana had a well-regarded reputation in the Meto area and throughout Kōputaroa, and the MPP saw him as an ideal candidate. Tapihana would later tell reporters, during his bid for Prime Minister, that he had told the MPP leaders at the time that he only intended to hold the seat in Kōputaroa for one term to give them time to find a more long-term candidate "and let me get back to my classes and my books."

Tapihana would end up completing three full terms as the Assemblyman for Kōputaroa District 6, which he would later say that he "had absolutely no regrets about, loved doing and was honored to serve," although he also commented that he "had no idea he would end up there so long."

During his three terms as an Assemblyman, Tapihana focused on improving the infrastructure and educational opportunities in Kōputaroa and the other outlying Milintican islands, Ngāmotu and Ōkarae. During his last term as an Assemblyman, Tapihana also became increasingly involved in the effort to prevent ocean rise from harming the outlying Milintican islands and in drafting the first MPP proposals for addressing climate change and environmental degradation.